Representatives of the Sundance Festival visit Salt Lake City as part of the search

Representatives of the Sundance Film Festival host committee visited Salt Lake City earlier this week as part of their considerations about where to hold the festival when its current contract with Park City expires in 2026.

The Utah Host Committee, which has some similarities to the Utah Bid Committee for the 2034 Winter Olympics, presented a newly designed site in Salt Lake and Park City.

The inspection included tours of key venues, theaters, performing arts facilities and restaurants throughout Salt Lake City and was themed around “Two Cities, One Experience” to preserve the legacy of the Park City experience while expanding Salt Lake City’s reach, according to Utah committee representatives.

The site visit showcased the unified efforts of Utah’s Sundance Film Festival Host Committee, which includes the Utah Office of Tourism, Utah Film Commission, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Park City, Visit Park City and Visit Salt Lake. The group emphasized its ability to provide a blend of urban and natural environments, supported by infrastructure and Park City’s longstanding connection to the festival.

“Salt Lake City is a thriving cultural center with a strong commitment to the arts,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “We are excited about the opportunity to further expand our partnership with Sundance and share the vibrant energy of our city with filmmakers and visitors from around the world.”

“Park City has been the heart of the Sundance Film Festival for over four decades, and we are thrilled to continue to be a host city in partnership with our neighboring communities,” said Park City Mayor Nann Worel. “From the beginning, we recognized that we must reimagine our shared future as we prepare to host a fantastic festival in 2025.”

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson added, “Salt Lake County is ready to support Sundance with our extensive event infrastructure, world-class arts and cultural venues, and the warm hospitality that Salt Lake is known for. We look forward to the opportunity to further enhance our region’s visibility on the world stage.”

“The name Sundance is synonymous with Utah,” said Governor Spencer Cox. “In my travels domestically and internationally, the most common comments I hear about our great state of Utah revolve around our national parks, skiing and, of course, the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance is Utah and Utah is Sundance.”

The tour also demonstrated the region’s commitment to sustainability, accessibility and diversity – core values ​​of the Sundance Film Festival.

Final selections will be made by the first quarter of 2025, and the committee said it will continue to work with Sundance representatives throughout the decision-making process.

The Sundance Film Festival began its site selection process in the spring with a request for proposals from potential candidates. This was followed by a request for proposal phase for selected sites, to which the Utah Host Committee responded in June. Six sites were selected for site visits, including Salt Lake City/Park City. A final decision is expected in early 2025.